The effect of polymer type on electric breakdown strength on a nanosecond time scale

Based on the concepts of fast polarization, effective electric field and electron impact ionization criterion, the effect of polymer type on electric breakdown strength （EBD） on a nanosecond time scale is investigated, and a formula that qualitatively characterizes the relation between the electric breakdown strength and the polymer type is derived. According to this formula, it is found that the electric breakdown strength decreases with an increase in the effective relative dielectric constants of the polymers. By calculating the effective relative dielectric constants for different types of polymers, the theoretical relation for the electric breakdown strengths of common polymers is predicted. To verify the prediction, the polymers of PE （polyethylene）, PTFE （polytetrafluoroethelene）, PMMA （organic glass） and Nylon are tested with a nanosecond-pulse generator. The experimental result shows EBD （PTFE） 〉 EBD （PMMA） 〉 EBD （Nylon） 〉 EBD （PE）. This result is consistent with the theoretical prediction.

Experimental investigation of a gliding discharge plasma jet igniter

Relight of jet engines at high altitude is difficult due to the relatively low pressure and temperature of inlet air.The penetration of initial flame kernel affects the ignition probability in the turbine engine combustor greatly.In order to achieve successful ignition at high altitude,a deeper penetration of initial flame kernel should be generated.In this study,a Gliding Arc Plasma Jet Igniter(GAPJI)is designed to induce initial flame kernel with deeper penetration to achieve successful ignition at high altitude.The ignition performance of the GAPJI was demonstrated in a model combustor.It was found that GAPJI can generate plasma with deeper penetration up to 30.5 mm than spark igniter with 22.1 mm.The discharge power of GAPJI was positively correlated with flow rate of the carrier gas,approaching 200 W in average.Ignition experiments show that GAPJI has the advantage of extending the lean ignition limit.With GAPJI,the lean ignition limit of the combustor is 0.02 at 0 km,which is 55.6%less than that with spark igniter(0.045).The evolution of flame morphology was observed to explore the development of the flame kernel.It is shown that the advantage of a high penetration and continuous releasing energy can accelerate the ignition process and enhance combustion.

Efficiency droop suppression in GaN-based light-emitting diodes by chirped multiple quantum well structure at high current injection

Gallium nitride （GaN） based light-emitting diodes （LEDs） with chirped multiple quantum well （MQW） structures have been investigated experimentally and numerically in this paper. Compared to conventional LEDs with uniform quantum wells （QWs）, LEDs with chirped MQW structures have better internal quantum efficiency （IQE） and carrier injection efficiency. The droop ratios of LEDs with chirped MQW structures show a remarkable improvement at 600 mA/mm2, reduced down from 28.6% （conventional uniform LEDs） to 23.7% （chirped MQWs-a） and 18.6% （chirped MQWs-b）, respectively. Meanwhile, the peak IQE increases from 76.9% （uniform LEDs） to 83.7% （chirped MQWs-a） and 88.6% （chirped MQWs-b）. The reservoir effect of chirped MQW structures is the significant reason as it could increase hole injection efficiency and radiative recombination. The leakage current and Auger recombination of chirped MQW structures can also be suppressed. Furthermore, the chirped MQWs-b structure with lower potential barriers can enhance the reservoir effect and obtain further improvement of the carrier injection efficiency and radiative recombination, as well as further suppressing efficiency droop.

Current spreading in GaN-based light-emitting diodes

We have investigated the factors affecting the current spreading length（CSL） in GaN-based light-emitting diodes（LEDs） by deriving theoretical expressions and performing simulations with APSYS.For mesa-structure LEDs,the effects of both indium tin oxide（ITO） and n-GaN are taken into account for the first time,and a new Q factor is introduced to explain the effects of different current flow paths on the CSL.The calculations and simulations show that the CSL can be enhanced by increasing the thickness of the ITO layer and resistivity of the n-GaN layer,or by reducing the resistivity of the ITO layer and thickness of the n-GaN layer.The results provide theoretical support for calculating the CSL clearly and directly.For vertical-structure LEDs,the effects of resistivity and thickness of the CSL on the internal quantum efficiency（IQE） have been analyzed.The theoretical expression relating current density and the parameters（resistivity and thickness）of the CSL is obtained,and the results are then verified by simulation.The IQE under different current injection conditions is discussed.The effects of CSL resistivity play a key role at high current injection,and there is an optimal thickness for the largest IQE only at a low current injection.